Developing and Supporting the Dual Professionalism of CAAT Faculty Members

Abstract

This qualitative, exploratory study is focused on how teachers in Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) are prepared to teach. Using focus groups and semi-structured interviews, I sought the perspectives of front-line staff within academic development units and academic leaders to create a detailed depiction of how teacher preparation and development currently happen in CAATS. In this study I worked collaboratively with the experts on teaching and learning and teacher training to develop a shared understanding of the present state of CAAT teacher training and gain insight into their perspectives on where CAAT teacher training should go next. The specific research questions I sought to answer through this study were: 1. How do CAATs, through the mechanism of their institutional academic development units, support the development of their faculty members as dual professionals to be both subject-matter experts and excellent teachers, with the goal of improved learning for students through more effective teaching? 2. What are the perceptions of academic development unit staff of current teacher training at CAATs? 3. How can the system of teacher development at CAATs be strengthened? Using Activity Theory as my main theoretical framework as well as the structure for my interview protocol, I worked with participants in this study to collaboratively map the activity system of teacher preparation both at individual institutions and across the CAAT system as a whole. Overall, CAATs provide basic teacher training—on planning and conducting lessons, designing course materials, and setting up courses on Learning Management Systems (LMS)—for faculty members, but lack resources to support faculty members’ subject-matter expertise. CAATs can work together, under the direction of senior leadership, to develop better support both for educational developers and CAAT faculty members. CAAT academic development units can collaborate to create a provincial CAAT teacher training curriculum or credential that can be implemented at the institutional level to ensure consistency as well as the necessary level of institutional focus for faculty development.